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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot: Jury clears 3 men in the last trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

A jury acquitted three men Friday in the last trial connected to a plan to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a scheme that was portrayed as an example of homegrown terrorism on the eve of the 2020 presidential election.William Null, twin brother Michael Null and Eric Molitor were found not guilty of providing support for a terrorist act and a weapon charge. They were the last of 14 men to face charges in state or federal court. Nine were convicted and now five have been cleared.The Nulls and Molitor were accused of supporting leaders of the plan by participating in military-style drills and traveling to see Whitmer’s vacation home in northern Michigan. The key players, Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., were convicted of a kidnapping conspiracy last year in federal court.In the latest trial, the jury heard 14 days of testimony in Antrim County, the location of Whitmer’s lakeside property, 185 miles  north of the state Capitol.There were gasps in the courtroom as the jury foreperson ...

Daytime shows like Drew Barrymore’s return despite Hollywood strike pickets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

“The Drew Barrymore Show” will begin airing fresh episodes on Monday but a lot of off-air controversy will be clinging to its typically bubbly host.Barrymore — a daughter of a proud acting dynasty — is making new batches of her syndicated talk show despite picketers outside her studio, as daytime TV becomes the latest battlefield in the ongoing Hollywood labor strife.“We’re four months approximately into this strike and it’s not surprising that there are defectors,” said Michael H. LeRoy, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I couldn’t predict that this would happen on daytime TV, but everybody has a breaking point in a labor dispute.”“The Drew Barrymore Show,” operating without its three union writers, isn’t the only daytime show to resume. “The View” has returned for its 27th season on ABC, while “Tamron Hall” and “Live With Kelly and Ryan” — neither are governed by writers guild rules — have also been producing fresh ep...

High school roundup: Bella Cadavid, Tyngsboro shut out Greater Lowell Tech, 5-0

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

In a nonleague girls soccer game, Bella Cadavid finished with a goal and a pair of assists as Tyngsboro (3-2) defeated Greater Lowell, 5-0.Sophie Skabeikis and Bella Owumi scored, while Kylie Kennison recorded the shutout as St. Mary’s defeated Pentucket, 2-0.Sophomore CC Levrault had a hat trick as Apponequet (5-0) upended South Coast Conference opponent Durfee 5-2.Field hockeyIn a nonleague matchup, Kay Murphy recorded a hat trick and a pair of assists while Ava Meehan added two goals and three assists to boost Bishop Feehan to a 8-1 win over Attleboro.Boys soccerConnor Spinney found the back of the net twice and Ryan Gasbarro added a pair of assists as Newburyport defeated Central Catholic, 3-1 in a nonleague contest. … Jason Xintaropoulos finished with a goal and an assist as Billerica defeated Westford, 3-1. … Matt Droggitis made two saves for his second shutout of the season and Drew Fitzgerald scored his first varsity goal as St. John’s Prep defeated Silver Lake, 3-0. 

UAW strike displays tensions between Biden’s goals of tackling climate change and supporting unions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two of President Joe Biden ‘s top goals — fighting climate change and expanding the middle class by supporting unions — are colliding in the key battleground state of Michigan as the United Auto Workers go on strike against the country’s biggest car companies.The strike involves 13,000 workers so far, less than one-tenth of the union’s total membership, but it’s a sharp test of Biden’s ability to hold together an expansive and discordant political coalition while running for reelection.Biden is trying to turbocharge the market for electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent China from solidifying its grip on a growing industry. His signature legislation, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes billions of dollars in incentives to get more clean cars on the roads.Some in the UAW fear the transition will cost jobs because electric vehicles require fewer people to assemble. Although there will be new opportunit...

Boston City Council looks to get better read on number of firearms illegally trafficked into city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

The Boston City Council is looking to get a better read on the number of firearms being illegally trafficked into the city to help law enforcement and policymakers stem the increasing trend.To that end, the council’s Committee on Government Operations is set to hold a hearing on Monday regarding a study and report that the Boston Police Department would be required to submit annually pertaining to the flow of illegal firearms.“A comprehensive study and review of the flow of firearms into the City of Boston would help law enforcement and policymakers better understand the impact of illegal gun trafficking, and this data will help craft strategies to reduce gun violence,” a city document states.Councilors say gun trafficking and the illegal flow of firearms is a major contributor to gun violence. Last year, Boston Police recovered more than 900 firearms, city figures show, but the number that were illegally brought into the city is unclear.“In 2021, of the firearms recovered at crime ...

El Chapo’s son extradited to the US to face drug trafficking, other charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

MEXICO CITY — Mexico extradited Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, to the United States on Friday to face drug trafficking, money laundering and other charges, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.“This action is the most recent step in the Justice Department’s effort to attack every aspect of the cartel’s operations,” Garland said.The Mexican government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Mexican security forces captured Guzmán López, alias “the Mouse,” in January in Culiacan, capital of Sinaloa state, the cartel’s namesake.Three years earlier, the government had tried to capture him, but aborted the operation after his cartel allies set off a wave of violence in Culiacan.January’s arrest set off similar violence that killed 30 people in Culiacan, including 10 military personnel. The army used Black Hawk helicopter gunships against the cartel’s truck-mounted .50-caliber machine guns. Cartel gunm...

Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner removed from Rock Hall leadership after controversial comments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jann Wenner, who founded Rolling Stone magazine and was a co-founder of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has been removed from the hall’s board of directors after making comments that were seen as denigrating Black and female musicians.“Jann Wenner has been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation,” the hall said Saturday, a day after Wenner’s comments were published in a New York Times interview.A representative for Wenner, 77, did not immediately respond for a comment. Wenner created a firestorm doing publicity for his new book “The Masters,” which features interviews with musicians Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend and U2’s Bono — all white and male. Asked why he didn’t interview women or Black musicians, Wenner responded: “It’s not that they’re inarticulate, although, go have a deep conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin. Please, be my guest. You...

Blue Jays grind out 13-inning win over Red Sox to keep playoff hopes alive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

Whit Merrifield’s RBI single in the 13th inning gave the Blue Jays a badly needed 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday to keep Toronto’s playoff hopes alive.Rafael Devers had a two-run homer in the sixth inning to back Chris Sale’s superb start for Boston (74-75). Pablo Reyes had an RBI single in the 12th inning.Sale flirted with a no-hitter, but ultimately allowed a run on two hits, striking out 10 over six innings. Relievers Josh Winckowski, Brennan Bernardino, Chris Martin John Schreiber, Nick Robertson, Zack Weiss and Mauricio Llovera (1-3) followed Sale to the mound.Daulton Varsho’s RBI triple with two outs in the bottom of the ninth tied the game for Toronto (82-67) and Bo Bichette’s sacrifice fly in the 12th tied it again. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a solo home run in the seventh.TIE BALL GAME pic.twitter.com/5OcFanLPZ5— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 16, 2023The win – which took four hours, one minute to record – moved...

Relative of slain Black teen calls for white Kansas teen to face federal hate crime charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A relative of a slain Black 14-year-old is calling for a white Kansas teen to be tried on federal hate crime charges in the shooting death, noting recent testimony about threatening racial slurs.Michael Berry, a cousin of Kamarjay Shaw, called for federal involvement in a letter to the U.S. attorney for Kansas, Kate Brubacher, the Lawrence Journal-World reported.Derrick Del Reed was 17 when Shaw was killed in March but is charged as an adult with first-degree murder. The trial is set to start on Nov. 27, and the now-18-year-old is jailed on $500,000 bond. During the preliminary hearing in August, a detective testified Reed used threatening racial slurs in Snapchat messages sent the morning of the shooting. Reed said in the messages he was tired of fighting with Shaw and his friends and was ready to start shooting, the detective testified.The hearing ended with the judge finding enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial.Reed’s defense attorney didn’...

Mexican Independence Day parade brings festive energy to Little Village

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:43 GMT

CHICAGO — Thousands lined 26th Street in the Little Village neighborhood Saturday for the 52nd annual Mexican Independence Day Parade."The reason I like it so much is cause it's where I live and we always like coming here because it's a fun time for my whole family," said Brian Martinez, a spectator at the parade.Vibrant colors featured in the Mexican flag — red, white and green — coated the streets along the parade route, which have drawn spectators from all across the country for years due to the reputation of their decorative designs."This is the first time we've come," said Inez Carrizales, a spectator visiting from Florida. "We've seen [the parade] on TikTok [before], so we decided to come."This year's parade is extra special for those celebrating. This year's Mexican Independence Day celebration marks the first time in Chicago history the parade has been held on a Saturday, while also taking place on the actual date of Mexican Independence Day. Mexico gained independence from ...